'The Last of Us' Season 2: All About the Highly-Anticipated Video Game Series' Starring Pedro Pascal

The Last of Us survives another season.

HBO's hit post-apocalyptic series is an adaptation of NaughtyDog's 2013 PlayStation video game of the same name and chronicles a fungal-induced pandemic in the United States ravaged by infected, cannibalistic creatures.

The Last of Us was renewed for a second installment after its creators had "defined a genre with their masterful debut season," said head of HBO Drama Series and Films Francesca Orsi in a statement at the beginning of this year.

"After pulling off this unforgettable first season, I can't wait to watch this team outshine themselves again with Season 2," she confirmed after the release of two episodes following the series premiere in January 2023.

Since its release, the Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey-led series has shattered records, drawing 4.7M viewers across linear and Max. It marked the largest debut after House of the Dragon since Boardwalk Empire launched in 2010.

"I'm humbled, honored and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel (played by Pascal) and Ellie's (played by Ramsey) journey," executive producer Neil Druckmann said in a statement.

"The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast and crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations. Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two!" he added. (Druckmann and Mazin also serve as showrunners and co-writers).

Here's everything we know about The Last of Us season 2 so far.

What will The Last of Us season 2 be about?

While The Last of Us Season was renewed for a second season in early 2023, few details have been disclosed about the creative direction of the upcoming installment. However, showrunners Druckmann and Mazin hinted in a Hollywood Reporter cover story that it's likely to chronicle the contents of the second game in the video game series.

"I'm so grateful to Neil Druckmann and HBO for our partnership, and I'm even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey," Mazin said about the renewal. "The audience has given us the chance to continue, and as a fan of the characters and world Neil and Naughty Dog created, I couldn't be more ready to dive back in."

Season 1 was closely aligned with part one of the video game, following hardened smuggler Joel's tasked attempt at transporting young Ellie — who he believes holds the cure to the fungal infection that ended the world — across the post-apocalyptic United States.

Although it remains unclear how closely season 2 will align with part two of the video game, Ramsey (who identifies as gender fluid) briefly teased a plot point she's looking forward to when speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

"I'm really excited, to be honest, for the Ellie/Dina story," Ramsey said.

Even during the Hollywood strikes, showrunner Mazin revealed that significant progress has been made. "We were able to map out all of season 2," he said during an interview for Entertainment Weekly's The Awardist podcast.

"And I also wrote and submitted the script for the first episode and sent it in [to HBO] around 10:30 or 10:40 p.m. right before the midnight [makes a "kajoomph" sound] and the strike began," he added.

While talking to reporters, including PEOPLE, at the 2024 SAG Awards, Pascal said that filming on the show's second season was "going amazing" so far.

“It’s sort of awe-inspiring, the kind of focus and dedication that everyone has going into season 2," he said.

Pascal is also happy to be working with Ramsey and Mazin again, and said that the crew is "working harder than I can even imagine, even harder than our first season — which is close to impossible."

“Going back to season 2 and stepping back into those boots again, it feels strangely brand new. I’ve never done anything like this before that has original authorship and then to be given the space and author what I have to give ... To be with Craig Mazin and Bella Ramsey is what works for me," he said. "I’ll probably be thinking about it for the rest of my life.”

Who's in The Last of Us season 2 cast?

Ramsey confirmed to W that she is reprising their starring role as Ellie. But in the meantime, the actress will be appearing in other projects before season 2 begins filming.

Pascal will return as Joel. While the casting news has yet to be confirmed, the actor has spoken about filming a second season in previous interviews.

While Ramsey's Ellie and Pascal's Joel are the stars in The Last of Us season 1, the second installment is expected to spotlight another character — the aforementioned Dina (played by Isabella Merced), revealed by Ramsey.

HBO announced on Jan. 9 that Kaitlyn Dever is also joining the cast, playing the role of Abby in season 2. In August 2024, fellow newcomer Merced shared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that Dever needed extra security on set because of some overzealous fans.

There are "so many strange people" who "genuinely hate Abby," Merced said. "Just a reminder, [she's] not a real person."

Showrunner Mazin explained how they went about casting, explaining how the process for season 2 was "identical" to season 1. "We look for world-class actors who embody the souls of the characters in the source material,” he said. “Nothing matters more than talent, and we’re thrilled to have an acclaimed performer like Kaitlyn join Pedro, Bella and the rest of our family.”

On Jan. 10, it was announced that Beef star Young Mazino is joining the cast. He plays Jesse, "a pillar of his community who puts everyone else’s needs before his own, sometimes at terrible cost," per Deadline.

How many episodes will The Last of Us season 2 have?

The Last of Us season 2 will consist of seven episodes in comparison to season 1's nine installments, Mazin and Druckmann confirmed to Deadline in June 2024.

Is there a trailer for The Last of Us season 2?

A trailer has yet to be released for The Last of Us season 2. If the timeline is anything like season 1, fans can expect the drop of a full trailer approximately one month ahead of the second installment's premiere.

When will The Last of Us season 2 premiere?

On May 15, Max confirmed on X that production on The Last of Us season 2 has begun. It will premiere on HBO and its streamer in 2025, though an exact date has yet to be revealed.

Will there be a season 3 of The Last of Us?

Prior to the season 2 confirmation news, Mazin told Collider that he and Druckmann don't see The Last of Us as a series that runs for seasons upon seasons. But, he did reveal that the "remaining story [in The Last of Us Part II] would take us more than a season to tell."

Meanwhile, Druckmann elaborated on each season's length, saying, "I remember, early on, I asked Craig and HBO, 'How many episodes does this season need to be' And the answer was, 'As many as the story requires, and no more.' And likewise, that would be our approach for future seasons to say, 'Okay, this will be as many seasons as required to reach that ending, and no more.'"

In a more recent interview with GQ, Mazin and Druckmann further confirmed that the events of the video game's "Part II" will span more than one season. In fact, Mazin said there is "no way" season 2 of The Last of Us could chronicle the entire story that "Part II" tells.

Druckmann added, ""It's more than one season." While they didn't reveal exactly how many seasons "Part II" would make up, Mazin confirmed that it would be "more than one."